[aprssig] Special GPS

[Andrew Rich]

what about parking it at dawn

you know you are going to get xxx hours of sun

advance it alittle at a time

the odds are between the shortest and longest day of the year the angle 
is not going to be that much out.


U could use a pc



-----Original Message-----
From: Wes Johnston [mailto:wes at kd4rdb.com]
Sent: Saturday, 23 July 2005 11:42 PM
To: vk4tec at tech-software.net
Subject: Re: [aprssig] Special GPS


I actually want to build a parabolic trough and make it track the sun.

Everything we do here in the states is in inches, and I can get sheets
of stainless steel in 48x96 inches.  I've cut a template of wood in the
shape of a parabola that the curve is 96 inches long (thanks solver in
excel). 

I'm actually not too keen on using an expensive GPS, my fall back is to
use a simple op-amp comparing the light falling on two photo transistors
inside a long tube.  As the sun moves, it will cast a shadow on one of
the photocells causing an imbalance.  The op amp will then drive a motor
forward a little.  I suppose it could be done better with a PIC.... that
would sense darkness at the end of the day and drive the array back to
home in the east.  My plan is to mount the trough at the angle of my
lattitude so that it is perpendicular to the sun, and adjust the
elevation near noon every day.... it would just take a little bump in
elevation everyday as the seasons change.

Wes

Andrew Rich wrote:

>You can send a nmea sentence that request the empheris info ?
>
>I have done it b4 but cannot remember if it included the sun or moon.
>
>What you wanna track them with a telescope ?
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Wes Johnston [mailto:aprs at kd4rdb.com]
>Sent: Saturday, 23 July 2005 1:37 PM
>To: TAPR APRS Mailing List
>Subject: [aprssig] Special GPS
>
>
>Does anyone know of a GPS that will output the az el for the sun and or
>moon?  My garmin units will show me sun and moon on the display, but
>what about a NMEA sentence?
>
>Wes
>
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